Method and apparatus for feeding, registering, and cutting web material



' March 3; 194 26 O 2,275,064

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING; REGISTERING, AND CUTTING WEB MATERIAL Filed Aug. 23, 1958 INVIENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1942 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING,

REGISTERING, AND CUTTING WEB MA- TERIAL George Arlington Moore, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Humoco Corporation, Louisville, Ky., .a corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 1938, Serial No. 226,218

21 Claims.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for the handling of web material, and more particularly to the conversion of a web of material into a plurality of registered sections such as labels or blanks from which packages may be formed. I

In the manufacture of packages, it has heretofore been proposed to employ a plurality of feed rollers for drawing a web of material from a roll and passing said web to a cutting mechanism whereby the web is cut into the desired lengths for use in forming packages, suchas cigarette packages, for example. The present invention is directed to methods and means of simplified steps and construction for securing the above result at high speed and with accuracy of register whereby printing and dry adhesives, used on the web and forming a part of each label, will occupy the proper positions for completing each package.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide novel means of the above type for securing accurate register of each label without recourse to the use of an electric eye.

Another object is to provide a novel structure of the above character embodying means for facilitating the threading of the web therethrough.

A further object is to provide a novel method and means for registering, and for cutting labels in register.

Further objects and advantages will appear more fully hereafter in the detailed description which is to be read in connection withthe accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a web which is slightly greater in length than a single label;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the novel feeding and registering mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a detailed enlarged section, with parts Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevation, as viewed from the rear of Fig. 4, illustrating one manner in which the mechanism may be actuated to facilitate cutting of the web into labels.

The method and apparatus will be described in connection with the formation of cigarette packages from a continuous web of material comprising paper and aluminum foil which carries printing and a thermoplastic on one side and a thermoplastic on the opposite side, the paper and aluminum foil being adhesively secured to form a homogeneous sheet. It will be understood, however, that the feeding, registering and cutting mechanism shown is not limited to the making of cigarete packages, as will be apparent hereinafter to those skilled in the art.

As shown in Fig. 1, the web 6, has the paper face thereof visible, the opposite side (not shown) being aluminum foil and carrying the printed matter desired for the outer surface of the com-- pleted package. Strips 1 and 8 of a thermoplastic compound, such, for example, as chlorinated rubber which may be treated for softening with camphor, tripher'iyl or tricresyl phosphates, are applied to the surface of the paper in any suitable manner for use in forming the seams of the package, but the specific folding and seaming of the labels into packages constitutes no part of the present invention.

A single label or. blank is formed by cutting through the web, in a manner to be described hereaftergalong the lines 9, which lines pass through the center of pairs of tongues i0 cut in the web at equal intervals along the two side edges thereof. As will be pointed out more fully hereafter, perforations are formed when these tongues are bent out of the .plane of the web, which cooperate with the feeding mechanism to secure the desired register. It will be noted that the tongues are so cut that no material isremoved from the web, the base portion of the tongue being adjacent the edge of the web to prevent weakening of the latter and the rounded portion extending inwardly and having a periphery of more than 180. The cutting of the tongues to provide for perforations avoids the broken away. illustrating a portion of the end feeding and registering roll and bonnet, dotted line A showing an alternative edge of the bonnet:

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the operation of the parts shown in Fig.

2; and,

accumulation of confetti," such as results when openings are formed by removing material, and avoids tearing and weakening of the web, Moreover, in .the formation of the package seams, the thermoplastic compound fills the cut on the half portion of each tongue to provide a smooth surface and hence secure an effective joint.

A roll of material as above described is mounted on an arbor it which has associated therewith centric, rotatable shaft, the ends of which are eccentrically mounted in bearings 63a that are rotatably supported in frame 92. A quadrant M adapted to be held in adjusted position by means of a thumb nut i5 is secured to bearing l3a. Rotation of the quadrant is thus effective to move the roller relative to the supporting member I2 whereby roller l3 may be moved toward or away from a second roller l6. Preferably, the movement of quadrant M in one direction is limited by an adjustable calibrating screw ll. When it is desired to feed the web between rollers i3 and IS, the thumb nut may be loosened and the sector swung to move roller 13 away from roller 5., If the calibrating screw has been set to the desired positionto 'secure the proper feeding clearance between rollers I3 arid l6, quadrant M may be quickly swung, after the web has been fed between the rollers, until it is stopped by engagement with the calibrating screw, whereupon the rollers will be found to be in suitable adjustment for feeding the web from the reel on arbor I l.

Roller l6 has its shaft rotatably mounted in the frame of the machine carrying the member l2. The inner end of roller It carries a powerdriven gear it which meshes with an identical gear l9 fixedly secured to the inner end of roller l3 whereby rollers l3 and IE will be driven in opposite directions at the same speed. Journalled-adjacent the opposite ends of the shaft of roller it is a frame 20 adapted to be oscillated in a vertical plane through a limited are, as will be pointed out hereinafter. During the feeding operation, the only movement of rollers l3 and I6, however, is one of rotation, no motion of oscillation being imparted to either roller.

Adjacent the outer end of frame 2llis a third roller 2i rotatably mounted in said frame and oscillatable therewith through the are illustrated by the full line and dotted line positions of said roller (Figs. 2 and 4). A rotatable guide roller 22 is mounted intermediate rollers if: and El in the same manner as roller it, that is on a concentric shaft which is eccentrically mounted for rotation in bearings 22a that are supported in frame 2d. Bearing 22a is secured to a quadrant 23 adapted to be held in adjusted position by means of a lock nut 24. Adjustment of quadrant 23 is effective to move roller 22 toward or away from roller 2|. Roller 22 is an idler but roller N is driven at the same speed as rollers l3 and 16 by means of a sprocket 25 and a sprocket chain 25a, the driving sprocket being on the axle of roller l6 and the driving and driven sprockets being of such size that roller 2| is driven at the same speed as roller I3 and roller IS.

The web is led underneath roller l3, up between rollers l3 and I6, over the top of roller I6, below the idler roller 22 and up and over rolle'r 2|. Preferably, a wire 26, having a curvature substantially the same as the curvature of roller l6 and extending centrally over the top of the latter, is mounted as at 26a on frame l2 and serves to prevent the web from leaving the top of roller 16. A bonnet 21 extends over the top of roller 2i and has an inner periphery which conforms to but which is slightly spaced from the outer periphery'of roller 2t. As shown, the bonnet 21 is provided with supporting feet 2212 which rest on frame 2B and are held in position by dowels 28 so that the bonnet is readily removed.

In the mechanism above described, rollers l3 and it are effective to pull the web from the roll and push it into a slack loop ta intermediate rollers 16 and 2!. Means are provided on roller 29 to pull the material'from the loop 6a in a predetermined manner to secure accurate register and without strain on the material. For this purpose, roller 2i is provided with two pairs of pins 29, the pins of each pair lying in a single radial plane and in a position along the length of roller 2!, to engage tongues it of the web. force said tongues outwardly, .and extend into the openings thus formed in the web, as is shown in enlarged view in Fig. 3. Preferably, clearance for the pins and for the tongues ill is provided on the inner face of bonnet 27 by means of a pair of parallel arcuate recesses 27b. If desired, that portion of bonnet 27 to the left of dotted line A in Fig. 3 may be eliminated. The two pairs of pins 29 are spaced apart about the periphery of roller 2|.

As the web passes from roller 2|, it is pushed down through a suitable guide 30 into registered position and cut by a knife M. The label is thus in registered position with an arbor 32, whereby suitable mechanism (not shown), may fold the label into body formation about said arbor.

In operation, the web is positively pushed by the primary feeding rollers i3 and i6 into the slack loop to. Leading roller 22 now guides the web onto the pins 29, whereupon the web is pulled a half revolution of roller 2!, which constitutes one pitch, the opposite pair of pins engaging the next pair of tongues and perforatiortis before the first pair of pins disengages the we The primary feeding rollers are not effective to secure accurate register due to inaccuracies of manufacture and also due to inequalities in the thickness of the web. However, pins 2a, in forcing tongues ill outwardly, have a snug fit in the resulting openings and correct for any inaccuracies in the position of the web relative to roller 2i, it being noted that said pins place very'little strain on the web since they pull on the free loop 8a. There is sufilcient clearance between the inner surface of bonnet 2i and the outer surface of roller 2i to prevent generation of friction, but the bonnet is effective to maintain the web in conformity with the roller whereby the pins are effective through the yielding tongues to bring the label into proper register. As the web leaves the pins of roller 28, the tongues return to their normal position in the plane of the web to facilitate the further operations.

As the web passes through the guide 30, it must be accurately cut into the desired sections or labels in order that the printing and lacquers on said webwill occupy the proper positions with regard to mandrel 32. It is extremely difficult, however, to cut the web while it is in motion, since to do so requires that the cutting means travel at the identical speed of the web. Alternatively, the web must be stopped during the cutting operation if accuracy is to be maintained. In order to secure high output, time and space must be economized and accordingly in many instances it is not practical to move the cutter at the speed of the web.

The present, apparatus is therefore so formed that the material is not in longitudinal motion relative to the cutter atthe time of cutting. For

his purpose the power means (not shown) drives a crank 33 which rotates a block 34 which slides in a slot 35 (Fig. 5) formed on the inner surface of frame in. The frame, together with rollers 2i and 22, is thus oscillated through a predetermined angle. When the frame and roller 2! are in the lowermost position, the crank is effective to slowly move the same upwardly, and at one instant this upward movement is equal to the downward movement of the web, it being understood that rollers l3, l6 and 2f rotate at all times.

The cutting knife Si is so timed that at the instant roller 2| is moving upward at a speed equal to the downward movement of the web, 1. e. at the moment when the web is in effect stationary,

the knife is rendered effective to sever the web, passing directly through the centers of a pair of tongues and forming a label of the desired length. The movement of the crank now'accelerates the upward movement of frame 20 and roller 2|, and

of the same with said mandrel. As'shown more 0 clearly in Fig. 3, the heads of pins 29 are rounded while the bases of the pins have a radius equal to that of the radius of the perforations. In the event that the pins engage the web slightly of! center, the rounded heads cooperate with the tongues to square the web. Since the tongues are formed in that portion of the web carrying the thermoplastic film, the latter serves to reinforce the web and to prevent ragged edges in the tongues.

Primary feed rollers I3 and I5 rotate on fixed centers and have no movement of oscillation. Rollers l3 and 22 are provided with eccentrics Ila and 22a, respectively, whereby the same may be adjusted for the thickness of material being skilled in the art, and reference will accordingly be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. Apparatus for feeding and registering material from a reel comprising first and second primary feeding rollers, a frame mounted for pivotal movement about the aids of said second p imary feeding roller, a secondary feeding roller carried by the outer end of said frame, a leading roller intermediate the second primary feeding roller' and the secondary feeding roller for guiding a slack loop of material, means for driving said feeding rollers in unison, means for oscillating said frame, and pins on the periphery of said secondary feeding roller for engaging perforations in said material.

2. Feeding and registering-apparatus for a web of material comprising a pair .of primary feeding rollers, means for driving said rollers at equal speeds, a frame adapted to oscillate about the axis of one of said rollers, a roller having pins 30 to direct the web into the guide 30 free of wrinkles.

'Preferably, oscillating frame 20 and rollers 2i and 22 are-made of aluminum or duralumin There is thus provided a simple mechanism for feeding a web of materialfrom a roll at high speed. for securing exact register, and for cutting the web into the desired label lengths. The apparatus has been found to be durable and accurate in actual rise. Changes in the size, speed and arrangement of parts will now occur to those on the periphery thereof carried by said frame and osclllatable therewith,'means for driving said last-named roller at the same speed as the first-- named rollers, means for oscillating said frame,

and means for momentarily engaging said ma terial at the instant saidoscillating means moves the pin-carrying roller upwardly at a speed equal to the downward feeding movement of the pins. 7

3. In apparatus of the class described, a pair offeedlng rollers adapted to feed a web of material therebetween, a frame pivotally secured to the axis of one of said rollers, means for oscillating said frame, a pin-carrying roller carried by said frame and oscillatable therewith, means for driving said rollers at equal speeds, a leading roller for guiding a slack loop of the web between the pin-carrying roller and one of said first-named rollers, said leading roller being oscillatable with said frame, and a bonnet at least partially surrounding said pin-carrying roller and positioned on said frame for guiding the web over the top of said pin-carrying roller and downwardly'therefrom, said web having perforations therein adapted to be engaged by said pins.

4. Apparatus for handling a web of material having pairs of perforations out therein adjacent the opposite edges thereof, comprising primary feeding rollers, a pin-carrying roller, means for oscillating the last-named roller, means for ro tating said rollers at the same speed, means for guiding and retaining said web with the pins of said pin-carrying roller in engagement with saidperforations whereby'the web is registered and drawn over and moved downwardly from the pin-carrying roller, and means for momentarily engaging said web when the pin-carrying roller is oscillated upward at a speed equal to the downward feeding movement of the pins.

5. In apparatus for feeding and registering material from a roll, first and second primary feeding rollers adapted to engage the web of the material and draw the same between the rollers and into a slack loop, a secondary feeding roller,

pins carried on the periphery thereof and spaced apart a predetermined angular distance, a .bonnet for said secondary feedingroller, means for oscillating said feeding roller, and means for rotating said rollers at equal speeds, said pins being adapted to engage perforations in said web for pulling the latter from said slack loop between said primary and secondary rollers and to draw the same over the top of said secondary roller and downwardly therefrom, said bonnet maintaining said web in engagement with said pins.

6. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of primary feeding rollers, means for adjusting one of said rollers toward and away from the other of said rollers, a frame, a secondary feeding roller carried by said frame, means for oscillating said frame, and means for driving all three of said rollers at the same speed.

'7. In apparatus of the class described, means for pushing a web of material having perforations into a loop, a frame, means'for oscillating the frame, a pin-carrying roller oscillatable with the frame and carriedthereby, and means for rotating said roller, the pins of said roller being adapted to engage the perforations to positively feed the web from said loop and simultaneously register the same.

8. In apparatus of the class described, means for pushing a web of material having cuts therein into a slack loop, and means for drawing said web from the "oop comprising a rotatable and oscillatable roller having pins therein for engaging the cuts in said web, and a bonnet surrounding a portion of said roller for ensuring engagement of the pins with said web.

9. Feeding and registering apparatus for a web material, comprising a pair of primary feeding rolleis, means for driving said rollers at equal speeds, a frame adapted to oscillate about the axis of one of said rollers, a secondary feeding roller having projections on the periphery thereof carried by said frame and oscillatable therewith, means for driving said last-named roller at the same speed as the first-named rollers and means for oscillating said frame, the speed of scillation being equal and opposite in direction for at least an instant to the speed at which the web material is fed from said secondary feeding roller.

10. Apparatus for feeding and registering web material, comprising a. pair of primary feeding rollers, a frame mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of one of said primary feeding rollers, a secondary feeding roller carried by said frame, means for rotatably driving said feeding rollers in unison, and means for oscillating said frame to vary the linear movement of the web material fed from said secondary feeding roller- 11. Apparatus for feeding and registering a web material, comprising a pair of primary feeding rollers, a frame mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of one of said primary feeding rollers, a secondary feeding roller carried by said frame and oscillatable therewith, means on said secondary feeding roller for cooperating with perforations in said web material, means for continuously driving said feeding rollers in unison, and means for oscillating said frame whereby the linear movement of the web :material fed from said secondary feeding roller is intermittently stopped for at least an instant.

12. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of feeding rollers adapted to feed a web of material therebetween, a frame mounted for pivotal movement about the axis of one of said rollers, a pin carrying roller carried by said frame, means for driving said rollers at equal speeds, a leading roller for guiding a slack loop of the web between the pin carrying roller and said pair of rollers, said leading roller being mounted on said frame, means adjacent said pin carrying roller for guiding the web over the top of the latter, said web having perforations therein adapted to be engaged by said pins, and means for oscillating said frame, the speed of oscillation being equal and opposite in direction for at least an instant to the speed at which the web material is fed from said pin carrying roller.

13. Apparatus for handling a web of material having perforations cut therein, comprising primary feeding rollers, a pin carrying roller, means for rotating said rollers so that the surface 14. In apparatus of the class described, means for feeding a strip of flexible material into a slack loop, a rotatable member, means for continuously rotating said member, means on said member for operatively' engaging uniformly spaced perforations in said strip of flexible material to pull the same from said loop and to impart continuous longitudinal movement thereto relative to said member, and means for oscillating said member in space, the speed of said member along'its path of oscillation being so related to the speed of rotation of said member that the longitudinal movement of that portion of the strip being fed from said member is intermittently stopped.

15. In apparatus of the class described, means for continuously feeding a strip of flexible material into a slack loop, a rotatable member, projections on said member for continuous cooperation with spaced perforations in said strip of flexible material to move the latter longitudinally from said slack loop, said perforations being spaced to divide said strip into longitudinal divisions of equal length, means for continuously rotating said member about an axis, and means for simultaneously oscillating said member in space, said rotary and oscillatory movements being so related to each, other that each division of said strip is stopped in space for a short interval when it reaches .a predeterminedrelated to each other that predetermined portions of said strip after being fed from said roller are successively stopped for short intervals in predetermined positions in space.

17. In apparatus for feeding web material and .registering predetermined parts thereof with 'other apparatus, a pair of primary feeding rollers for frictionally gripping said material to pull the same from a source and feed it into a slack loop, a secondary feeding roller, circumferentially spaced projections on said secondary roller adapted to engage perforations cut in said web material at predetermined intervals thereon to draw-said material from said slack loop, means for continuously rotatably driving said rollers whereby the feeding rate of said primary and secondary rollers is approximately the same,

and means for simultaneously moving said secondary roller bodily for shifting the axis of rotation thereof to successively stop said predetermined parts at a predetermined position.

18. In apparatus for feeding and registering web material, said web material being divided into longitudinal sections of a predetermined length determined by spaced perforations cut therein, means for frictionally gripping said web material to pull the same from a source of said material and feed it into a slack loop, means having projections thereon adapted to engage said perforations to draw said material from said slack loop and to feed the same from the apparatus, means for continuously actuating said feeding means, and means for continuously oscillating said second named means bodily to suecessively momentarily stop said longitudinal sections at a predetermined position.

19. A method of feeding and registering web material which comprises the steps of frictionally gripping said material and pulling the same from a source and feeding it into a slack loop, applying a pulling force to the walls of perforations cut in said material to draw said material from said slack loop and feed successive predetermined longitudinal portions of said material to a predetermined position in space, and momentarily stopping each of said portions in space at said predetermined position.

20. The method of feeding web material and registering predetermined longitudinal portions thereof which comprises the steps of frictionally gripping said material and continuously pulling the latter from a source and feeding it to a slack loop, applying a pulling force to the walls of perforations in said material at the ends of each of said predetermined portions to continuously draw said material from said slack loop, and oscillating the material drawn from said slack loop to stop each of said predetermined portions in space at a predetermined position.

21. Apparatus for handling a web of material having perforations cut therein comprising primary feeding rollers, a delivery roller having lated upward at a speed equal to the movement of the web away from said delivery roller.

GEORGE ARLINGTON MOORE. 

